1:20 Iberian Mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon widdringtonii)

Iberian Mongoose or Andalusian ichneumon (Herpestes ichneumon widdringtonii) is a subspecies of the Egyptian mongoose which is the only mongoose that lives in Europe, particularly in the south of the Iberian Peninsula.

It is called “Meloncillo” in Spanish and " Sacarrabos " in Portuguese.

In this video you can see an Andalusian Ichneumon, what is not so easy in the field…

Meloncillo would have been introduced in the Iberian peninsula during the Arab occupation, which started in 711 AD, more than one thousand years ago. The Moors may have imported this mongoose, and probably also the genet (Genetta genetta), to hunt rats. Some individuals, escaping captivity, would have become feral and developed to a singular subspecies.

Meloncillo differs from the other Egyptian Mongoose subspecies in its larger size and its significantly stronger dentition.

So, these are the sketches that I have prepared for two different versions of Meloncillo 1:20 scale

Wonderful to see sacarrabos getting shape, although I've never seen it around, I always found it a very interesting creature. I love to listen to older people talking about animals that they don't know the name and that a certain point crossed their ways, I suspect some of these descriptions are about the Iberian mongoose, no other Iberian creatures can cause confusion with this one. I'd love to see one of these being mass produced but it is also great to know that you considered it for your Iberian fauna artworks. They're looking extraordinary, two poses, two wonders.

Ah, the elusive Iberian mongoose! Although I live near an area where they are known to inhabit, I never saw one in person, not even when I went there to see the local wildlife at night. I saw frogs, owls, bats, scorpions and a praying mantis, alongside moths, but not one of them. Same goes for the foxes, there is a healthy population of them yet they are rarely seen by humans.

These are indeed excellent figures! I really like their positions, it captures the sneaky but also cautious nature of a mongoose percectly!

Not a mouse for sure Susanne, although we have some interesting around. Sorry for being predictable but I suggest Vulpes vulpes silacea, the Iberian red fox. It is similar in shape to other red fox species but coloring is less bright and tail is grey. It has the same white markings than other red fox subspecies. You can see a picture here